How to Ace Father’s Day
You have now survived Mother’s Day, and with any luck you scored a great gift for the woman who brought your kids into the world. If not, she may have tried to take you out of it.
But in the head-spinning world that is the modern calendar, we are already ticking off the waning days until Father’s Day. The burden is now on the wife and kids to do better than a necktie or coffee cup and to track down a gift that will blow your mind on the second Sunday in June.
But you aren’t completely off the hook yourself. In addition to being a father, you also may have a father, a father-in-law, and maybe even a grandfather in your life. So your shopping struggles continue. But you knew that already.
So as you think about your dad, her dad, and maybe even their dads, as well as yourself, consider some of the big categories where you can hit pay dirt.
The Practical
In 35 or 40 years of buying for your dad, you may have gotten him every fun thing you can think of. Nowadays, it’s tougher to cook up something that he will like and can use. Think of his interests and hobbies and try to go from there, but don’t restrict yourself. Think outside the box when you can.
Going off-script in regards to the gift with something like support socks can work very well. It’s the kind of thing that will appeal to older dads who are paying close attention to their health and fitness, and it provides an extra boost for their comfort level during exercise compared to their good ol’ sweat socks. Essentially, you’ll get him started doing what we should all be doing when we exercise, which is wearing the appropriate gear and maintaining our comfort and health proactively instead of waiting on aches and pains to develop.
The Memorable
So many of our dads don’t take good care of the keepsakes of their lives. Maybe they’re not artsy-craftsy, or maybe they just think of keeping items rather than displaying them. Whatever the reason, his football letterman jacket is in a cardboard box and his Army medals hide in a cigar box downstairs. He’s probably never even thought of how nice it would be to place those items out in the open, not just for himself but also for grandkids and other younger relatives who’ve never known those chapters in his life.
Plot with your mom to sneak in, retrieve his stuff, and get it placed in shadow boxes, frames, or whatever works best, and then give him a gift he’ll never see coming.
The Intangible
Not every memory is tied to an object, of course. Sometimes experiences are more meaningful than items. As Father’s Day approaches, consider the possibility of spending a day doing something unique with your dad. It doesn’t have to be a week of deep-sea fishing in the Caribbean, but it could be anything that you know your dad enjoys doing with you and maybe the grandkids. Gas up the car and take him on a tour of his old hometown. Let him show you where his old school was, or the house where he was born. Find the cemeteries where your ancestors are buried. Splurge on an NBA playoff game or a weekend of chasing minor league baseball teams around your area. Whatever it is, just think of what your dad likes and do it.
We all try to be good to Dad 365 days a year, but 364 of those don’t have his name on them. On the one that does, think personal, think practical, think memorable, and enjoy.
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